U.S. Open 1968

In 1968 the first United States Open took place and Arthur Ashe emerged the victor. Sydney Poitier narrates this video that looks back to that first U.S. Open and examines the lasting impact Arthur Ashe left on that Grand Slam tournament.

The video features clips of Arthur Ashe discussing his vindication upon winning, the turbulent current events surrounding that win and the shift in tennis thereafter. Also included is footage of the opening of Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows, NY.

Diversity on the Tennis Court

CNN’s T.J. Holmes talks with the widow of Arthur Ashe at the U.S. Open about diversity in tennis. Talk Transcipt

South Africa

Soweto, South Africa

The Arthur Ashe Tennis Center and Library, located in Soweto, South Africa was rededicated on March 31, 2007. Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe was present and recorded this footage that shows the refurbished facilities while Wire Zondi, now a Ward counselor, recalls what Ashe and the facility mean to him.

Erected in 1974 during the Apartheid era by Arthur Ashe, it was intended as a facility for black South Africans at a time when it was illegal for races to mix in South Africa. During the Soweto riots in 1976 it was severely damaged and remained in disrepair for years. Recently, funds were allotted to fix the center, which is unprecedented in South Africa due to its combination of tennis courts and learning areas. Programs at the center focus on both tennis and academics—which Arthur always stressed in conjunction with each other—so that a new generation of student—athletes can have access to these tools to help them succeed in life.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon Finals – 1975Ashe vs Connors

This is Gerald Williams’ original radio broadcast from the finals of Wimbledon in 1975. The defending champion Jimmy Connors was heavily favored to win the match. Instead, Ashe upset him 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. The audio footage includes a post-victory interview with Ashe as well.

This audio broadcast from Wimbledon in 1975 is effective because it captures the mood of the time. What in these times is an unsurprising victory is reinvigorated because of the excitement and uncertainty being voiced by the commentators.

Ashe outplays Connors by keeping his cool, which succeeded in tiring an impatient Connors and letting him commit errors. In the interview, Ashe talks about his sense of destiny surrounding his game play that year and being the first black male to win Wimbledon.

WNYC - New York Public Radio Interview

WNYC-New York Public Radio Interview1993

On the right side of this page is an audio interview from a 1993 taping of the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC-New York Public Radio featuring guest James Cone, a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

The topic of the show was the legacies of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, twenty-five years after King’s assassination.

At the beginning of the audio clip, Brian Lehrer announces a surprise caller and that caller is Arthur Ashe. Ashe shares his views on how King and Malcolm X affected his youth and their continuing influence in ’90s popular culture.

— Also on the right side of this page, there is a
Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe interview with Brian Lehrer,
which is a prelude to the above noted WNYC New York Public
Radio interview with Arthur Ashe.